Thursday, May 10, 2012

This Weekend's Local Metal Concert Previews!!

Before we get to the weekend's slate of metal & hard rock shows, I wanna apologize again for missing another Powerslug concert across the river, as the local hard rock outfit played at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird) again last Saturday. Guitarist Chris Gurnoe only officially confirmed the show on his personal Facebook page earlier that afternoon, and it completely passed me by for coverage on here. I could blame their lack of an internet page or the late notice, but ultimately, I should have checked to see if they were playing that day. I'm sorry again, and I'll work harder on my Powerslug coverage! Now, to this weekend, which is a big one for shows in the Sault Ontario area, so let's now waste any time, here are your concert previews from Thursday-Sunday! First, we'll start with a big punk concert with metal involvement going down TONIGHT at The Roosevelt Hotel, and though it's not officially in the Rosie metal night lineage, there's no shortage of quality entertainment happening, so here's who to look out for! Two heavier bands are on the lineup tonight, including horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight (in their first Rosie appearance in 11 months), whose current lineup should be playing live in full for the first time since October! Also, local hard rock trio Pools of Booze (a.k.a. T. Rex Manning minus singer J.D. Pearce) will return for their second gig, as J.D. Pearce will mostly be focusing on his work as Johnny Pints with Frightlight at tonight's concert. However, I understand that J.D. will join his bandmates to play a couple T. Rex Manning songs during the Pools of Booze set, including their first original song, so don't miss that! The headlining bands are noted Toronto punk/alternative bands Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved in the midst of their Danceland Tour, and they'll be sure to entertain tonight! Die Mannequin's energetic female-fronted style with some heavy touches have won them a lot of fans, and Dearly Beloved's punk & indie mix will also be pretty entertaining! The lineup is rounded out by local punk trio Redundant, who'll deliver a fun set of their punk covers and originals at tonight's concert, and you know they'll impress all at The Rosie tonight! I'm really curious to hear more of the original songs from their forthcoming debut CD, and hopefully Redundant knock it out of the park! Advance ticket sales have closed, so if you don't have a ticket, you'll have to try your luck at the door tonight, though the price remains $10. You must be 19 to attend, and the doors open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like this will be a great concert for punk fans, with some nice metal touches, and hopefully there's a huge turnout at The Rosie tonight! Check the above links for more details, become a member of T. Rex Manning's new Facebook group (finally) at this location, and for a preview, here's Frightlight playing "She Screams" at the old Coch's Corner in October! Next on the weekend schedule is a rare concert weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel from local classic hard rock quintet That's Chester! Not having rocked The Rosie since at least 2010 (possibly earlier), these hard rocking local veterans will sure add to a stacked weekend of heavier music at this venue over the next 3 nights! That's not the only difference though, as Cleveland Steamer drummer Mike Blair will be filling in for Ric Datson for the shows tomorrow night & Saturday night due to a recent joint injury that Ric suffered. Mike has the chops to fit in with the rest of the guys in That's Chester, and hopefully Ric gets better soon! This weekend's shows (the band's first since March) will be 19+ affairs with 10:30 PM start times, and there will not be a cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These will be different from the recent norm for That's Chester, but their talents at hard rock covers will be ever present tomorrow night & Saturday night, so keep these concerts in mind this weekend! For a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" a few years back! Also this weekend is local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam's long awaited return to one of their favourite venues, The Rockstar Bar! Though last seen at the Ypres Metal Fest last month, this serves as the rescheduled date for their planned March concert at this venue, which was postponed following frontman Buzz' back injury and pneumonia. It's great to see them back for their first headlining concert of 2012 and their first Rockstar Bar gig in 11 months, and you know they'll have tons of their high impact originals from their new album "Everything Will Die" ready to melt faces with! This is otherwise similar to Garden of Bedlam's past headlining shows at The Rockstar Bar, with no opening bands, an 11:00 PM start time, a $5 cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though I sadly can't make this show due to an out of town weekend, this is shaping up to be a huge show, and hopefully you guys can show up to rock out with Garden of Bedlam on Saturday night! They never cease to impress, and with all of their quality originals, this is a show you won't wanna be absent for! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Garden of Bedlam playing their song "Emptiness Without A Name" at The Rockstar Bar last summer! The final metal show going down this weekend is Dismembertainment's first concert since the Ypres Metal Fest, and they're continuing their relationship with The Canadian Nightclub with a strong lineup consisting of noted out of town bands and returning local favourites on Sunday night! The late-addition headliners are Vancouver metal band West of Hell, fronted by Zimmers Hole's Chris "Heathen" Valagao, and their old school speed metal style with modern influences will surely win them lots of fans on Sunday! Also joining them are Vancouver death metal quintet Tribune, in their first local appearance since the 31st Rosie metal night in September! They rocked the Soo hard in their first stop here last fall, and their mix of death metal styles and hardcore choruses will surely be well recieved this Sunday! The local openers are notably both returning from long absences from the stage, including the return of State of Misery! Now in their third run since their 2010 inception, the popular death metal band will play their first concert in over a year, their first show since their breakups & the departure of bassist Devon Overman, and their first with their original lineup since last February, so be sure to welcome them back to the stage on Sunday for their brutal original material! Oh, and it's their Canadian Nightclub debut as well! Opening this show however will be the long awaited debut/return of local hard rock quartet Borderline Divine! This concert marks a lot of firsts & returns for them, so let's mention them briefly: This will be Borderline Divine's first show since changing their name from Stillbroke last fall, their first gig in over 2 years, their first Canadian Nightclub appearance since 2009, their Dismembertainment debut, their first show since Mitch Sirie & Justin Polutanovich joined the band and Chris Villeneuve & Kyle McKey left, their first gig since Jesse Frigault dropped the guitar to focus on singing only, and it will mark the debut of their heavier sound & new original material. I think that covers it all, and it's great to see the guys back after so long! A lot has changed, but things are finally looking up for Borderline Divine! This concert will be an ALL AGES affair (as the other recent Dismembertainment shows are), the cover charge is $10 (which was raised after West of Hell were added, but the cost is extremely worth it), and doors open at 9:00 PM on Sunday. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a great concert full of talented touring bands and notable local returns, and I guarantee I'll be there on Sunday night if I'm home in time! Check the above links for more on this very big metal show, and for a preview, here's West of Hell live in Vancouver last year with a special guest you may recognize! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more ahead! Thanks everyone!

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